Contentment: What Is It?

There are many views to contentment. The media promotes the Get What I Want Contentment view. In this view, people get content only if they get what they want. On the other hand, Buddhism promotes the Get Over What You Want View. It means letting go of what you want and being satisfied with what you have. What do you think about this views?

Are there other better ways at looking at contentment? Please share.

I never actually thought about that! I was interested to hear what Buddhism promotes; I had never asked anyone/read about that before, so it is new for me. It makes sense, though!
I kind of have been trying to look at it that way, now that I think about it. I try to think of all the good things in my life, even though there are some really not so good things happening right now. I am not successful always, however, but I try to think of how others have been through worse than me and how I am lucky in what I do have.

I am going to be a-lurking this thread now, because I am interested how others answer this question!

Thank you for the post, De Ming, and welcome to PC!

Mindfulness Meditation and DBT - two of the main ways currently used to combat Borderline Personality Disorder, are based on Buddist beliefs and meditation techniques. Most of BPD's problems stem from overanalyzing things, constant worrying or stressing about the past or the future, and extreme, vivid flashbacks. DBT and Buddist beliefs state that we should focus on the moment without regard to those things. That, in the end, those things don't matter. The only thing that matters is the present...what is happening right now. I am new at DBT and meditation, but it DOES work. Why worry about things you can't do a darn thing about or want things you can't get? I think that as long as our basic needs are provided for; we have enough food, shelter, and clothing to do the job, this way is the best and provides much more "peace of mind".

Carmasia said it very well. I learned as a child that I had to be content with what I had and that's how I am now. Yes, I see other things that I want, but I know that I'm not going to get them and that's fine. Wants are not important, haves are and I have everything I need to live.

i think contentment is a state of grace. A peace within your soul, and of being able to converse with a power greater than yourself. It's not only being "content" but it's being grateful which so many of us forget to be. I know when I first wake up in the morning, that's not always my first thought and it SHOULD be.

I could go on forever on contentment, but those two things are the most important to me. Take care. Hugs, Lee

While I do admire Buddhism to some extent, and some meditation practices can be beneficial, I don't necessarily agree that all desire should be avoided. The only problem with desire is when you desire more of something, and if you disregard the consequences of that desire, to the point where you may endanger your own or someone else's well-being. For myself, contentment is to be found through the gradual moderation of desire, and finding as an individual what I am well-suited towards. A major problem for me is that I tend to become overly ambitious, and I find that I got exhausted very easily because of that, so I become more frustrated and apathetic. I want quick results, and I forget that things take time.

The few times in life that I have truly felt contentment involved nothing more than an overall sense of wellbeing. That regardless of what happened in my past, what's happening now, and what may happen in the future, everything is going to be okay.

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Pfrog!

Sort of echoing Leed, I feel like contentment is a sort of inner fulfillment and abundance, that "God's in his heaven, all's right with the world". I don't feel like contentment and desire are necessarily opposites. You can feel great satisfaction working to accomplish the things you want in life, and wanting nothing can deteriorate into staleness. Life is always active, always reaching, striving, expressing, growing into itself and becoming itself, and out of a desire we call "God's Will" for its overwhelming power. Love is both contentment and desire.

Not easy to be content with Life....especially when BIG challenges are in front of you.

yeah i think its best to be content with what you have, cant always control everything, but can work on controling how you feel.

for me it means tht you are happy with life, and the way things are going.

not really what you want, but if you're happy and enjoy things, then you are content